The Day of the Jackal’s Final Hit Packs a Punch

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As a longtime admirer of both the original 1973 film and Forsyth’s novel, I must say that Peacock and Sky’s adaptation has left me rather divided. On one hand, I appreciate the boldness with which they’ve reimagined such an iconic story for contemporary audiences, infusing it with a modern sensibility that feels relevant to our times. The expanded plot and character development certainly add layers of depth that were missing in the original, providing a richer tapestry for viewers to immerse themselves in.

Spoilers ahead for the season-one finale of The Day of the Jackal.

In a surprising twist, despite the high anticipation for a second season, the finale of “The Day of the Jackal,” Peacock and Sky’s remake of the 1973 thriller, didn’t shy away from taking an unconventional route. Instead of sparing the protagonist Alexander Duggan (Eddie Redmayne), also known as the Jackal, the season finale culminated in a shocking showdown where he fatally shoots Bianca Pullman (Lashana Lynch), the MI6 agent hot on his trail. This daring decision to eliminate a well-developed character who served as a moral contrast to the Jackal throughout the series, leaves us intrigued about how this modern adaptation of “The Day of the Jackal” continues to surprise us.

It seems that there was little demand for another version of Zinnemann’s film, not even from Gareth Neame, the remake’s producer, who initially resisted the idea until business considerations prevailed (a fascinating statement). The movie had previously been remade in 1997 with The Jackal, starring Bruce Willis and Richard Gere, but this version was generally disappointing, being characteristic of mediocre action films from the ’90s and failing to approach the original’s enigmatic power. Zinnemann’s The Day of the Jackal is a chilly, detached film, where we observe as the titular assassin (Edward Fox), hired by the OAS, a right-wing group resisting Algeria’s independence from France, plots to kill French President Charles de Gaulle. Adhering to the realistic style prevalent at the time, the movie is understated and factual, switching between the Jackal’s meticulous preparations for the assassination and the French authorities’ efforts to apprehend him. In essence, it’s a procedural. Critics likened its starkness to a documentary; its impersonality reflects the assassin’s perspective, who warns the OAS recruits, “You can’t afford to be emotional. That’s why you’ve made so many mistakes.

In contrast to Zinnemann’s film, the updated version of “The Day of the Jackal” by Peacock and Sky offers a vastly different take on almost every aspect. While there are similar elements like the unusual rifle, the watermelon scene, and the enigmatic aristocratic aura of the Jackal, this remake embraces the streaming era’s emphasis on excess, providing more action, characters, intrigue, and background details.

The excessive nature of this remake is almost contradictory to the simplicity that makes Zinnemann’s film endure in our minds. However, it’s also incredibly enjoyable, demonstrating how an over-the-top approach works surprisingly well for Peacock and Sky’s adaptation. Can you help but find it amusingly absurd watching Eddie Redmayne transform into numerous elderly men? This show takes things to the extreme when a client sends Jackal, a top-tier assassin who just performed an impossible shot, an email saying “Fuck you!!!”. Compared to Zinnemann’s restrained film, this series is so emotionally intense it could be considered laughable. Yet, that’s the strategy that makes the remake successful. Given the challenge of recapturing the enigmatic power of the original in a streaming series format, the solution appears to be: Why not go in a completely different direction?

Edward Fox’s Jackal is a cypher — an expression of some elemental darkness in the world — and this makes him alluring. We never learn where he’s from, what motivates him, how he learned his trade. All we know is that he’s a consummate professional. This blankness works for a self-contained film, but a shadow doesn’t make for the most compelling central character in a ten-part streaming series, and so Redmayne’s Jackal needs a double life, a Spanish wife, and a subplot where his dumb brother-in-law tries to get him to deal with a petty mobster. Of course, a lot of this is just bloat, and it all ultimately flies in the face of the underlying simplicity that drives the psychology between our dueling protagonists, seen in the final exchange between Duggan and Pullman when they face off in the former’s Spanish villa: “I just want to win,” the agent says. “So do I,” the Jackal responds.

Despite its seemingly absurd elements, the political impact of the series remains undiminished, offering an unexpected twist. What made the 1973 film resonate deeply was its authentic political backdrop. De Gaulle was a genuine historical figure, and the OAS was a legitimate organization; the era was also marked by a high number of political assassinations. This context, along with its documentary-like style, gave the film’s events a sense of reality. In contrast, it’s challenging to find believability in the melodramatic tones of Peacock and Sky’s The Day of the Jackal series. However, the show manages to reinvent that political impact in surprising ways that resonate with modern issues, most notably in its bold finale.

In Zinnemann’s movie, the French authorities foil the assassination attempt at the last second: The Jackal takes a shot at de Gaulle, but luckily misses, and is ultimately killed when Lebel bursts in and fires upon him. The crisis is avoided, which is beneficial because maintaining political stability is important. As the credits roll, you’re left with a feeling that good people have done their duty. Conversely, Peacock and Sky’s The Day of the Jackal presents a different narrative. Although we gain insights into the Jackal’s human side, he remains an agent of darkness. His target, Ulle Dag Charles, is a figure who questions the global order and the wealth disparity it has created. The Powers That Be are represented by Charles Dance’s enigmatic financier in this adaptation. Unlike the original film, book, and 1997 remake, this version shows the Jackal successfully completing his mission. However, he soon finds himself in a trap designed by the British foreign minister, who is working in collusion with the Jackal’s client to eliminate both parties so that the assassination can’t be traced back to them. This leads to a confrontation with Pullman, and after killing this renegade MI6 agent who had grown disillusioned with his organization, the Jackal manages to survive an attempt on his own life (because there are more episodes planned).

The whole thing is deeply cynical: The elite power structure of capital and politics ultimately prevail, and on a meta level, the streaming remake gets to deepen its commitment to the “business imperative” that led its creation in the first place. But this ending also feels striking and appropriate for the times. Setting aside the uncanniness of a real-life CEO assassination taking place as episodes were still rolling out, the finale’s vibe captures a collective bitter feeling toward the systems of power in our own world. Peacock and Sky’s The Day of the Jackal might not be a terribly faithful adaptation of a stone-cold classic, but by expanding and exploding its source material, it coalesces into something altogether new — and produces a rip-roaring thriller that fully matches the sensibilities of its own era.

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2024-12-12 21:54